This invention relates to an accessory for maintaining bearings, more particularly, but not exclusively, to an accessory for use in the cleaning of bearings.
Shafts which are rotatably secured in housings are, in most cases, supported on bearings located in the housing. These bearings are generally lubricated with a high temperature resistant grease. As bearings are normally sensitive to dirt and moisture, seals are secured in the housing over the shafts to protect the bearings.
Seals that are commonly used have varying degrees of success in preventing the Ingress of dirt. Also, the bearings themselves can wear giving off particles of metal which are trapped in the grease. It is thus desirable to clean the bearings at suitable intervals and the most common method of doing this is by dismantling part of the housing to expose the bearings which can then be cleaned with a solvent or other suitable fluid. This method of cleaning bearings is no only time consuming and costly In that machinery has to be stopped, and the housing dismantled, but also is not very effective as only parts of the bearings are usually exposed.
Another method includes the use of a annular plate which is used to replace the seal covers and has ports therein which allow a cleaning fluid to be projected therethrough onto the bearings. While fairly effective, use of such accessories is also problematical in that the shaft and housing have to be partially dismantled to allow the seals to be removed and the plate to be slid over the end of the bearing into engagement with the housing whereafter cleaning can commence.
It is an object of this invention to provide a maintenance accessory for bearings which will at least partially alleviate some of the abovementioned problems.
According to this invention there is provided a bearing maintenance accessory for a bearing located on a shaft within a bearing housing comprising an annular manifold split Into at least two parts, the manifold having at least one inlet in flow communication with at least one outlet and interlocking formations enabling the two parts of the manifold to be releasably secured together about the shaft.
A further feature of the invention provides for the manifold to have engagement formations which are engageable with the bearing housing to hold the first side of the manifold having the outlet against a face of the housing.
Further features of this invention provide for the engagement formations on the manifold to include lugs which are spaced longitudinally from the manifold; for the lugs to be engageable In slots provided In the housing; for the engagement formations to further include resilient clips which are located on the side of the manifold having the outlet, and for the clips to be resiliently engageable in notches in the periphery of the housing.
The invention also provides for an inner periphery of the manifold to be grooved to form ribs which engage on the shaft.
The invention extends to a method of cleaning a set of bearings within a bearing housing comprising the steps of interlocking two parts of an annular manifold about a shaft, engaging the interlocked parts with bearing housing to hold the side of the manifold having an outlet against a face of the housing, and forcing a fluid into an Inlet of the manifold and out of the outlet into a set of bearings inside the housing.